Harassment because of age is illegal under the Equality Act 2010.
The following are some examples of activities that might constitute harassment related to age:
·Direct verbal abuse or comments about age that make a person feel uncomfortable, intimidated, or degraded:
o A manager frequently makes dismissive comments to an older employee like, "You're too old to understand this new technology," or "You should think about retiring soon," making the employee feel unwelcome and devalued.
·Unjustified exclusion of a person because of their age:
o An employee in their 50s is consistently left out of important projects or meetings because the team assumes they are not as creative or adaptable as younger colleagues, despite their skills and experience being relevant.
·Ageist jokes:
o During a team gathering, coworkers joke about an older colleague being "over the hill" or ask, "How are you keeping up with us young folks?" repeatedly, making the employee feel targeted and mocked because of their age.
·Using inappropriate language, related to age, to describe someone:
o A supervisor refers to a younger employee as "the kid" and an older employee as "the dinosaur" in emails and conversations, reinforcing age stereotypes and creating an uncomfortable work environment.